Pre Season Friendly v Brechin City

BRECHIN CITY 1 DUNFERMLINE 3 Date 17/07/07

Fixture: Pre Season Friendly

Kick off 19.45

Referee: Colin Brown

The rain started at the kick off sending the trackside supporters for cover in the away stand. Dunfermline in their all blue new away strip were the first to get a shot on target forcing Craig Nelson to drop to his left to stop a Mark Burchill deflection on a Darren Young cross from the left after just four minutes.

As the lightning flashed in the gloom of the Angus evening, Brechin tried to shock the Pars with Martin Johnston just failing to reach a David Murie ball in from the right and then Chris Geddes almost taking advantage of a Phil McGuire slip on the wet surface at the top of his penalty area in 10th minute. Roddy McKenzie came out well though to block Geddes` effort and then follow up to pounce on the loose ball.

In 18th minute the visitors forced the first corner of the match. Stephen Glass whipped the ball over from the left, it was defended only as far as Kevin Harper but his shot went wildly over the bar. The Pars easily defended a free kick from 35 yards after Scott Thomson had illegally stopped Geddes taking advantage of a knock down from Johnston.

The Pars own free kick chance eventually broke the deadlock. Glass had just fired one over the bar from 25 yards when Simmons took the next, feeding Harper the ball on the right wing for him to deliver a cross that Mark BURCHILL rose to head home from 8 yards. Simple but effective enough to make it 1-0 on the half hour.

Three minutes later a Glass pass was tapped back by Crawford into the path of Stephen Simmons and he was very unlucky as his shot from 18 yards slipped outside the right post.

The longer the half went the greater the Pars composure and confidence grew. The second Dunfermline goal came four minutes from the interval and it really came about from a great piece of persistence from Scott Thomson. Trapped close to the left corner flag he beat the same two players twice before laying the ball off for Young to cross. Brechin failed to clear and Burchill fed the ball back into the right side of the penalty box for SIMMONS to net off the inside of the right post.

Keeper Nelson kept the tally at two with a good save from Glass and McGuire missed an easy chance as the City defence went to sleep.

Half Time: Brechin City 0 Dunfermline 2

Owen Morrison came on for Darren Young after the break and Brechin made the first three of their substitutions. It took the Pars just ten minutes to increase their lead when Stephen GLASS got on the end of a Harper cross that was touched wide for him by Burchill.

It wasn`t to be plain sailing for the Fifers however. Darren SMITH pulled one back for the Glebe Park side just four minutes later when Greg Shields could not stop the no.11 slotting the ball past Roddy McKenzie. Last year Pars U19 player, Calum Smith came on in 64 minutes and immediately fired a shot on target that looked to be hitting the spot until Shields blocked on the line and then McKenzie held Darren Smith`s rocketed follow up.

Brechin had another couple of near things that raised the hopes of the locals with substitute David White coming very close with a powerful header at the far post. Dunfermline had the ball in the net through Crawford but Hamilton was offside from Morrison`s cross that created the opening.

Next Scott Walker intercepted a Williamson shot that was destined for the net and Simmons shot one high into the stand. Morrison was enjoying more than his fair share of possession but somehow the men in blue were finding scoring a tough assignment.

A couple of late corners landed opportunities to extend the lead but Brechin ably marshalled by Walker kept Stephen Kenny`s men out. The 250 or so travelling supporters went down the A90 happy. Let`s hope there will be many similar journeys home to Fife in the forthcoming SFL season.